The Central Bank of The Gambia reports that private remittances to The Gambia exceeded $872 million in 2025, a 12.5 percent increase from the year before. This highlights the ongoing significance of money sent home by Gambians living overseas in sustaining household earnings and the overall economy.
According to the central bank, the inflows, which are a major source of foreign money for the country, supported economic activity and domestic consumption.
According to a statement from the bank, “private remittance inflows have grown by 12.5 percent, equating to over $872 million in 2025.”
Additionally, the bank stated that the economy is still growing steadily, pointing out that since 2021, the real gross domestic product has continuously increased by more than 5% yearly, with momentum predicted to last through 2025 and 2026.
The bank claims that robust public and private investment and consumption, together with resilience in industries like financial services, telecommunications, tourism, and agriculture, have propelled the rise.
Meanwhile, there have been indications of a slowdown in inflation. According to the bank, consumer prices increased by 6.4% in January 2026, which is consistent with a slowdown in food costs.
However, officials stated that they were keeping a careful eye on international economic uncertainty, including as trade interruptions and geopolitical concerns, which may have an impact on local inflation.
A robust tourism season, financial support from development partners, and consistent remittance inflows all contributed to the country’s better external situation in 2025. According to the central bank, as the trade deficit decreased and the services sector grew, the current account deficit shrank.
Consequently, the expected deficit decreased from 4.4 percent of GDP in 2024 to 3.2 percent in 2025.
The Gambia’s foreign reserves increased to 4.4 months’ worth of anticipated import coverage as of February 2026, according to the central bank. The Gambian Dalasi were supported by the steady liquidity in the domestic foreign currency market.
Officials pointed out that rather than being the result of a single market transaction, the Dalasi’s decline in value relative to the CFA franc and other foreign currencies was mostly caused by larger macroeconomic and structural issues.
The bank cautioned that domestic debt levels have been rising and that debt servicing expenses will rise in 2025.
